Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Australian Baseball Federation 2015/16 Annual Report 1 ....
Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16 Contents
Chairman and CEO Report...... 3 Message from the ASC...... 5 Structure and Personnel...... 6
Financial Reports...... 10 Directors’ Report Directors’ Declaration Independent Auditor’s Report Auditor Independence Declaration Income Statement Balance Sheet Equity Statement Cashflow Statement Notes
Business Operations...... 28 Baseball Operations Marketing and Communications Facilities & Government Relations Commercial Australian Baseball League Australian Baseball Hall of Fame
Document Prepared by Baseball Australia Suite 5/65-67 Thomas Drive, Chevron Island, QLD 4217 Tel: +61 7 5510 6800 www.Baseball.com.au 2 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Chairman & CEO Report It is with pleasure that we present the 2015/16 Australian Baseball Federation Annual Report.
The past 12 months has again seen significant growth in baseball and it is with great pleasure we present to our members the 2015/16 Australian Baseball Federation Annual Report.
The health of the game is best measured against the following key metrics, which have all seen significant progress over the last 12 months.
• Club Membership (participation) • Exposure (interest in the game) • Fan Engagement through digital channels • Development of ‘pathways’ programs • Success of the Australian baseball League (ABL)
At a time when participation levels are declining in many other sports, participation in baseball has increased by 6.2% since the last reporting period. Baseball now boasts 57,474 Full Active Members, recording over 50,000 participants for the second year running, and baseball’s ninth year of consecutive growth. With a further 139,500 recorded in baseball’s exposure category (interest in the game), the game now engages just under 200,000 Australians regularly (196,974).
A significant contributor to baseball’s growth has been the success of Little League in Australia. With Little League well established and Junior League coming into its second year, 2015/16 saw the introduction of Senior League for players aged 13 to 16.
Little League continues to be embraced by the Australian baseball community with Australia now having the 3rd highest number of Little League participants worldwide.
The pathway in Australian Baseball has never been healthier. Little League brings clubs together as Charters to compete in the spirit of participation. As with previous Championships, the winner of Australian Little League Championship won automatic qualification to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, USA, with Hills (NSW) taking that honour in 2016 to represent Australia against the world’s best. However, such is the strength of the Little League program in Australia, that our Junior League Champions were also granted automatic qualification in 2016. Cronulla (NSW) beat Ryde (NSW) 7-4 in the Australian Junior League Championship Final for that honour, but it was in the Senior League Championship, won by Victoria’s Southern Mariners, that stole the headlines. The Mariners had to qualify for the Senior League World Series via an Asia-Pacific qualifier, and went on to make Australian baseball history.
A truly wonderful testament to Aussie baseball grit and determination, as well as skilled execution of our great game, the Southern Mariners were not only the first Australian team to represent at a Senior League World Series, they exceeded all expectations and made the Senior League World Series Championship game. Despite going down to 7-2 to Central (USA) in the final (August 2016), the Mariners broke new ground for Australian baseball and certainly demonstrated the health of the Australian pathways participation program.
Further growth was seen in female participation, with 10,613 females now playing the sport. This unprecedented annual growth of 18.4% has been the result of focused participation strategies, including the continued growth of the National Women’s and Youth Women’s Championships and significant effort by those volunteers and Australian Emeralds Officials who are so committed to the growth of women’s baseball in Australia.
Digital engagement of members and supporters increased over the past 12 months, with the ABL continuing to serve the game of baseball as a powerful marketing and engagement tool. The ABL digital media platforms, highlighted by ABLtv.com, grew exponentially with over 5.6 million unique views (2014/15: 2.4M unique views) of ABL video content totalling more than 211,000 hours of ABL content watched across all platforms.
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This, combined with 25%+ growth in the ABL’s social media following, set new standards in digital media engagement for fans.
The ABL completed its 6th season and continues to build on its success. With the League the primary driver of participation and growth for baseball in Australia, Baseball Australia commenced preliminary discussions with Major League Baseball, with whom it shares ownership of the League, to acquire its share and for Baseball Australia to become the sole owner of the League. This was formally announced in August 2016.
Congratulations goes to the champions Brisbane Bandits for a hard fought ABL Championship series win – defeating Adelaide Bite in a clean sweep. We would like to acknowledge the incredible support of all State Associations, their General Managers and dedicated staff and volunteers who make this possible.
Reduced government funding continues to have an impact on the sport; however, BA’s financial position remains healthy. Members’ accumulated funds were reported as $1.33M, a slight reduction (2014/15: $1.69M) from the previous reporting year, recording a net profit before extraordinary items of $238,120.
The ABF continues to operate as a responsible and sustainable entity, ensuring members funds are expended ethically and in line with the board approved strategic direction.
We have also worked tirelessly and closely with the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) to secure baseball’s re-admittance into the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Baseball is defined by its vibrant and committed members, supporters, staff and volunteers. To our principal partner, Australian Sports Commission, we thank them for their ongoing investment and support in baseball. To Major League Baseball, we extend our ongoing thanks for their continued support and investment in the development of Australian baseball.
To our other great partners including Boral, Bendigo Bank, Majestic Athletic, New Era, Virgin Australia, Hertz and Fielders Choice, we thank them sincerely
To the State and Territory Associations and their Boards, staff and volunteers, who do such a great job in delivering and servicing the sport at the coalface, we thank you for your ongoing commitment and support.
To the ABF Board, thank you for your contribution over the past 12 months and to the staff at ABF, your commitment to the development and success of our sport is unwavering.
In closing, we’d like to make special mention again to those that help deliver our sport, week-in, week-out, our volunteers. Baseball is a community which cares, our volunteers are second to none and are the foundation on which our game is built.
Yours sincerely
David Hynes Brett Pickett Chairman Chief Executive Officer
4 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Message from the Australian Sports Commission The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) congratulates our National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) on their achievements this year. In particular, we congratulate all of our athletes who represented Australia in the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. You did so with great distinction. The country is proud of your commitment and dedication, and the manner in which you conducted yourself throughout the campaigns.
In the aftermath of the Games, the Board of the ASC has re-committed to the core principles of Australia’s Winning Edge, the ASC’s ten year plan for high performance sport introduced in 2012. The four key principles are: high aspirations for achievement; evidence-based funding decisions; sports owning their own high performance programs; and a strong emphasis on improved leadership and governance.
We are confident these principles serve the long term interests of sporting sector.
We will also use the experience of the last four years to seek to improve implementation of Winning Edge in ways that will benefit the sector.
The ASC is equally committed to increasing community participation in sport, particularly amongst our children and youth. We have been pleased this year to see our flagship participation program Sporting Schools reach over 4,300 schools in partnership with NSOs.
Innovations by the ASC this year included the release of our Integrity Guidelines for Directors and Leaders of Sporting Organisations, which provides directors with comprehensive and practical guidance for the first time on anti-doping, sport science and medicine, illicit drugs, match-fixing, child protection and member protection – vital issues for maintaining trust and respect in the sporting sector.
We also staged our inaugural Athlete and Coaches Forum, giving Australia’s elite athletes and coaches the opportunity to share their experiences and enhance their leadership capabilities.
And we were delighted to see fruits of our efforts to improve female opportunity in sports, with improved elite and participation opportunities in women’s sport, better media exposure, some outstanding new commercial deals, and an increase in female representation at NSO board level from 27 per cent to a 39 per cent across the top 23 NSOs.
Looking ahead, ASC priorities include: • further institutional and governance reform in sport, with an emphasis on increased national integration and alignment • increased funding for sport, including new non-government sources of funding • further embedding sport in schools’ educational programs • improved national coordination of sports infrastructure spending, and • Improved use of data and technology in sports.
John Wylie AM Chair Australian Sports Commission
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Structure & Personnel Baseball Australia is governed by an independent Board of Directors and is administered by a Chief Executive Officer and a team of employees who are responsible for the day-to-day delivery of our core operational areas of the ABL, participation, high performance, business development and finance.
Organisation Structure
> COUNCIL >
BOARD OF DIRECTORS >
HEAD OFFICE >
STATE ASSOCIATIONS >
REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS >
CLUBS
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Board of Directors David Hynes Peter Schmigel Chairman Portfolios: Government Relations Portfolios: Baseball Operations, Olympics, ABL, Appointed April 2016 International Affairs and Facilities Peter Williams Jane Lamming Portfolios: Finance, Heritage Committee (Chairman) Portfolios: Legal & Governance Appointed April 2016 Rob Sadler Portfolios: Legal and Governance Yasmine Gray Appointed April 2016 (Participation Portfolio) Portfolio: Marketing & Communications Geoff Hooker Portfolios: Commercial and Events, High Performance and Baseball Operations Appointed April 2015
Brett Pickett Management & Staff Chief Executive Officer Chief Executive Officer Financial Controller Brett Pickett Kerran Evans (Joint-ABL role) Head of High Performance Office & Administration Coordinator Glenn Williams Melinda Baxter National Sport Medicine & Druge Education Officer Bruce Rawson Baseball Operations Chief Operating Officer Head of Little League & Nat’l Champs Justin Drew Mathew Sundstrom
Head of Coach & Officials Development Head of Facility Development Peter Gahan Daniel Amodio (Joint-ABL role) Departed: January 2016 Men’s National Team Coach Head of Technical Officials Jon Deeble Brett Robson Women’s National Team Coach Player Development Coordinator Simone Wearne Vacant High Performance & Events Coordinator Sharon Butty Appointed September 2015 Marketing, Communications & Partnerships Head of Marketing & Communications Head of Corporate Partnerships Clinton Bown Alex Pellerano (Joint-ABL role)
Communications & Marketing Coordinator Marketing, Membership & Participation Coord. Sam Finn joined April 2016 Miranda Frisken
Digital Media & Broadcast Manager Andrew Reynolds (Joint-ABL role) 7 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Member Associations
Baseball Australia is made up of seven (7) State and Territory member associations. Each of our State and Territory members play a vital role in the development and delivery of our sport.
The State Council consists of a representative from each State and Territory, ultimately the President or Commissioner as highlighted below
BASEBALL CANBERRA Commissioner: Theo Vassalakis (Council) Chief Executive Officer: Donn McMichael General Manager: Tom Vincent www.act.baseball.com.au
BASEBALL NORTHERN TERRITORY President: Michael Bongiorno (Council) Executive Officer: Lisa Hooley www.nt.baseball.com.au
BASEBALL WESTERN AUSTRALIA Chairman: Stephen Byrne (Council) Chief Executive Officer: Lachlan Dale www.wa.baseball.com.au
BASEBALL SOUTH AUSTRALIA President: Mark Snelgrove (Council) Chief Executive Officer: Nathan Davison www.baseballsa.com.au
BASEBALL NEW SOUTH WALES Chairman: Anthony Brasher (Council) Chief Executive Officer:Mark Marino www.nsw.baseball.com.au
BASEBALL QUEENSLAND Commissioner: Robert Wesener (Council) Chief Executive Officer: Colin Dick www.qld.baseball.com.au
BASEBALL VICTORIA President: Myles Foreman (Council) General Manager: Ashley Blair www.baseballvictoria.com.au ......
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Committees
Baseball Operations Heritage Committee Umpire Development Brett Pickett (BA) Peter Williams (Chair) Paul Latta (QLD), Chair Justin Drew (BA) Robert Moden (BA – Heritage Mel MacKay (QLD) Geoff Hooker (BA) Committee Coordinator) Brett Robson (WA) Kevin Cantwell (QLD) Hartley Anderson Lionel Harris (NSW) Peter Dihm (VIC) Robert Laidlaw (SA) Doug Corker (WA) ...... State Directors of Scoring Council of Australian Baseball Scorers (CABS) Vicki Beard (ACT) Technical Commission Sue McCollough (NSW) Steve Eads (SA) Libby Williams (NT) Meri Brealey (QLD) Meri Brealey (QLD) Caroline Adamson (WA) Michele Winther (VIC) Natalie Todd (WA) Enza Henty (SA) Judy Clifforf (CNSW)
Life Members 2001 - Ms Jan Thurley 1957 - Mr Reg E Darling* 2003 - Mr Ross Straw* 1976 - Mr G C (Don) Mould* 2003 - Mr Rodney Byrne OAM* 1977 - Mr J B (John) Hollander OBE* 2004 - Mr Ian Ross 1977 - Mr E (Tim) Bassingthwaighte 2005 - Mr Alan Waldron 1978 - Mr Robert (Bob) J Black* 2009 - Mr Ron Morgan* 1985 - Mr John Anderson 2011 - Mr Mark Peters 1992 - Mr Neville Pratt OAM* 2013 – Geoff Pearce 1993 - Mr Kingsley Wellington 2013 – Ron Finlay 2000 - Mr Ken Douglass 2000 - Mr Peter Dihm *Denotes deceased
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Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16 Financial Reports
11. Directors’ Report 13. Directors’ Declaration 14. Independent Auditor’s Report 15. Independence Declaration 16. Income Statement 17. Balance Sheet 18. Equity Statament 19. Cashflow Statement 20. Notes
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Directors’ Report
In accordance with a resolution of the Board of Directors, the Directors present their financial report of Australian Baseball Federation Inc. (“ABF”) for the year ended 30 June 2016 and the state of Australian Baseball Federation Inc. financial affairs as at that date
Board Members The following persons held office as board members of the ABF during the period or since the end of the year and up to the date of this paper.
David Hynes President Peter Williams Director Yasmine Gray Director Rob Sadler Director Geoff Hooker Director Peter Schmigel Director Appointed 13 April 2016 Jane Lamming Director Appointed 13 April 2016 Brett Pickett Chief Executive Officer
Board Meetings During the year six board meetings were held.
Board Member Meeting Attended David Hynes 6 Geoff Hooker 6 Peter Williams 5 Yasmine Gray 6 Rob Sadler 6 Peter Shmigel 1 Jane Lamming 1 Brett Pickett 6
Principal Activities The general activities of ABF are set out throughout this Annual Report and there were no significant changes from the principal mission “to provide national leadership and a national framework for harnessing the energies of the many baseball people and organisation throughout Australia with the aim of building the business of baseball for the benefit of all”.
Review of Operations The Australian Baseball Federation (ABF) is the peak body for the sport of baseball in Australia. It is recognised by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), the Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Olympic Committee, Major League Baseball and other professional leagues around the world.
The ABF’s main function is to conduct, encourage, promote, standardise, control and administer all forms of the sport throughout Australia. As part of its operations the ABF also conducts the annual Major League Baseball Australian Academy Program (MLBAAP), in conjunction with Major League Baseball (MLB), which is the benchmark player development program for the sport. The ABF is also a partner in a joint venture with MLB to operate the professional Australian Baseball League (ABL). 30 June 2016 30 June 2015 Australian Baseball (352,145) 248,533 Major League Baseball (9,735) 25,036
* Included in the revenue of MLBAAP and expenses of ABF is an interdivision transfer of: $50,000. Figures shown in the Director’s Report and Statement of Comprehensive Income are exlcuded from this amount.
Changes in State of Affairs No significant changes in the state of affairs occurred during the year.
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Board Member Benefits One board member has received or is entitled to receive, during or since the financial year, a benefit because of a contract made by the entity or related body corporate with the board member, a firm which the board member is a member or an entity in.
This statement excludes any benefit included in the aggregate amount of the emoluments received or due and receivable by board members, shown in the entity’s accounts, or the fixed salary of a fulltime employee of the entity or related body corporate.
Financial Position The net assets of the entity have remained constant over the year.
After Balance Date Events There have been no significant changes in the state of affairs of ABF since year end.
Officers’ Indemnities and Insurance During the financial year ABF entered into an insurance contract which serves to indemnify Directors and staff for costs incurred by them in defending legal proceedings arising out of the performance of their normal duties as Directors and staff officers.
Environmental Issues The entity’s operations are not subject to significant environmental regulation under the law of the Commonwealth and State.
Auditors Independence Declaration A copy of the auditor’s independence declaration as required under section 307C of the Corporations Act 2001 has been included.
Signed in accorance
David Hynes Brett Pickett Chairman Chief Executive Officer 8 October 2016
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Directors’ Declaration
The directors have determined that the company is not a reporting entity and that this special purpose financial report should be prepared in accordance with the accounting policies described in Note 1 to the financial statements.
The directors declare that:
(a) The financial statements and notes, are in accordance with the Corporations Act 2001 and:
(i) comply with Accounting Standards and the Corporations Regulations 2001 to the extent described in Note 1 to the financial statements; and
(ii) give a true and fair view of the company’s financial position as at 30 June 2015 and its performance as represented by the results of its operations and its cash flows, for the year ended on that date in accordance with the accounting policies described in Note 1 to the financial statements; and
(b) in the directors opinion:
(i) there are reasonable grounds to believe that the company will be able to pay its debts as and when they become due and payable; and
(ii) the financial statements and notes are in accordance with the Corporations Act 2001.
This declaration is made in accordance with a resolution of the directors.
David Hynes Brett Pickett Chairman Chief Executive Officer Gold Coast, 8 October 2016
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Independent Auditor’s Report
Report on the Financial Report We have audited the accompanying financial report of Australian Baseball Federation Inc., being a special purpose financial report which comprises the Statement of Financial Position as at 30 June 2016 and the Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Changes in Equity and Cash Flow Statement for the period ended on that date, a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory notes and the directors’ declaration.
Directors’ Responsibility for the Financial Report The directors of the company are responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial report and have determined that the accounting policies described in Note 1 to the financial statements which form part of the financial report, are appropriate to meet the requirements of the Corporations Act 2001 and are appropriate to meet the needs of the members. The directors responsibility also includes designing, implementing and maintaining internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of the financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error; selecting and applying appropriate accounting policies; and making accounting estimates that are reasonable in the circumstances.
Auditor’s Responsibility Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial report based on our audit. No opinion is expressed as to whether the accounting policies used, as described in Note 1, are appropriate to meet the needs of the members. We conducted our audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. These Auditing Standards require that we comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to audit engagements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial report is free from material misstatement.
An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial report. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgement, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial report, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial report in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by the directors, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial report.
The financial report has been prepared for distribution to members for the purpose of fulfilling the directors financial reporting under the Corporations Act 2001. We disclaim any assumption of responsibility for any reliance on this report or on the financial report to which it relates to any person other than the members, or for any purpose other that that for which it was prepared.
We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.
Independence In conducting our audit, we have complied with the independence requirements of the Corporations Act 2001. We confirm that the independence declaration required by the Corporations Act 2001, was provided to the directors of Australia Baseball Federation Inc on the same date as the date of this auditor’s report.
AUDIT OPINION In our opinion, the financial report of Australian Baseball Federation Inc is in accordance with the Corporations Act 2001, including:
(a) giving a true and fair view of the company’s financial position as at 30 June 2016 and of its performance for the year ended on that date in accordance with the accounting policies described in Note 1; and
(b) (ii) complying with Australian Accounting Standards (including the Australian Accounting Interpretations) and the Corporations Regulations 2001.
Russell Tevorrow Registered Company Auditor No. 8708 Gold Coast, 10 October 2016 14 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Independence Declaration
Auditor’s Independence Declaration under Section 307C of the Corporations Act 2001 to the directors of Australian Baseball Federation Inc.
I declare that, to the best of my knowledge and belief during the period ended 30 June 2016 there have been:
(i) no contraventions of the auditor independence requirements as set out in the Corporations Act 2001 in relation to the audit; and
(ii) no contraventions of any applicable code of professional conduct in relation to the audit.
JMR Group
Russell Trevorrow Registered Company Auditor No. 8708 Gold Coast, 10 October 2016
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Income Statement
Statement of comprehensive income for the year ended 30 June 2016
Note 30 June 2016 30June 2015 $ $ Major League Baseball Academy Revenue 2 (a) 372,355 334,048 Interest Received 2 (a) 14 12 Expenses 2 (b) (382,104) (309,024) Total (9,735) 25,036
Operating revenue ABF 2 (c) 4,378,304 4,154,001 Interest received 2 (c) 16,278 7,620 Profit on Disposal of Assets - - Total revenue 4,394,582 4,161,621
Operating expenses ABF 2(d) (4,746,604) (3,912,728) Interest paid 2(d) (124) (361) Total expenses 4,746,727) (3,913,089) Total 2 4 8 , 5 3 3
Profit (Losses) attributable to members of the entity (381,880) 273,569
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Balance Sheet
Statement of financial position as at 30 June 2016
Note 30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $ Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents 11 1,110,940 1,295,421 Trade and other receivables 3 474,679 606,771 Other assets 4 425,440 244,197 Total Current Assets 2,011,059 2 , 1 4 6 , 3 8 9
Non-Current Assets Property, plant and equipment 6 72,831 49,693 Other assets 4 - 600,000 Financial Assets 5 25 25 Total Non-Current Assets 72,856 649,718 Total Assets 2,083,915 2,796,107
Current Liabilities Trade and other payables 7 555,092 491,391 Other liabilities 8 104,909 510,559 Tax liabilities 8 - - Short term provisions 9 58,612 69,843 Total Current Liabilities 718,613 1,071,793
Non-Current Liabilities Long service leave 9 35,273 32,404 Total Non-Current Liabilities 35,273 32,404 Total Liabilities 753,886 1,104,197 Net Assets 1,330,029 1,691,910
Equity Retained earnings 10 1,330,029 1,691,910 Total Equity 1,330,029 1,691,910
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Equity Statement
Statement of changes in equity for the year ended 30 June 2016
Reserves Retained Profits Total $ $ $
Balance at 30 June 2014 1,418,340 1,418,340 Profit (loss) for the period 273,569 273,569
Balance at 30 June 2015 - 1,691,909 1,691,909
Balance at 30 June 2015 1,691,909 1,691,909 Profit (loss) for the period (361,880) (361,880) Balance at 30 June 2016 - 1,330,029 1,330,029
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Cashflow Statement
Cashflow statement for the year ended 30 June 2016
Note 30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $ Cash Flows from Operating Activities Receipts from clients 4,424,985 5,029,825 Payments to suppliers and employees (4,587,507) (3,828,523) Interest received 16,292 7,620 Interest paid (124) 361 Net Cash Flow from Operating Expenses 11 (a) (146,354) 1,209,283
Cash Flows from Investing Activities Payment for: Other investments - (200,000) Purchase of property,plant and equipment (38,127) (16,875)
Proceeds from: Proceeds from sale of investment - -
Net Cash from Investing Activities (38,127) (216,875)
Net increase (decrease) in cash held (184,481) (992,420)
Cash at the beginning of Period 1,295,421 303,001
Cash at the End of the Perior 11 (b) 1,110,940 1,295,421
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Notes
NOTE 1 - STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Reporting Status The directors have determined that the company is not a reporting entity. As a result, the financial report is a special purpose financial report prepared to satisfy the financial report preparation requirements of the Corporations Act 2001.
The Australian Baseball Federation Inc. is an incorporated society, registered in South Australia. The association’s principal activity is to manage, develop and promote baseball in Australia.
Basis of Preparation The report has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Corporations Act 2001, and the following applicable Australian Accounting Standards:
AASB 101: Presentation of Financial Statements AASB 107: Cash Flow Statements AASB 108: Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors AASB 1031: Materiality AASB 1048: Interpretation and Application of Standards
No other Accounting Standard, Australian Accounting Interpretations or other authoritative pronouncements of the Australian Accounting Standards Board have mandatory application. The company has however applied the measurement and recognition criteria of all accounting standards.
Reporting Basis and Conventions The financial report is presented in Australian dollars.
The financial report has been prepared on an accruals basis and is based on historical costs modified by the revaluation of selected non-current assets, financial assets and financial liabilities for which the fair value basis of accounting has been applied.
The directors evaluate estimates and judgements incorporated into the financial report based on historical knowledge and best available current information. Estimates assume a reasonable expectation of future events and are based on current trends and economic data, obtained both externally and within the company. There were no key adjustments during the year which required accounting estimates or judgements.
The following is a summary of the material accounting policies adopted by the company in the preparation of the financial report. The accounting policies have been consistently applied, unless otherwise stated.
The charge for current income tax expense is based on the profit/loss for the year adjusted for any non-assessable or disallowed items. It is calculated using the tax rates that have been enacted or are substantially enacted by the balance sheet date.
Deferred tax is accounted for using the balance sheet liability method in respect of temporary differences arising between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their carrying amounts in the financial statements. No deferred income tax will be recognised from the initial recognition of an asset or liability, excluding a business combination, where there is no effect on accounting or taxable profit or loss.
Deferred tax is calculated at the tax rates that are expected to apply to the period when the asset is realised or liability is settled. Deferred tax is credited in the income statement except where it relates to items that may be credited directly to equity, in which case the deferred tax is adjusted directly against equity.
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Deferred income tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that future tax profits will be available against which deductible temporary differences can be utilised. Future income tax benefits in relation to tax losses are not brought to account unless there is virtual certainty of realisation of the benefit.
(b) Property, Plant, and Equipment Property, plant and equipment are brought to account at cost or at independent or directors’ valuation, less, where applicable, any accumulated depreciation or amortisation. The carrying amount of property, plant and equipment is reviewed annually by directors to ensure it is not in excess of the recoverable amount from these assets. The recoverable amount is assessed on the basis of the expected net cash flows which will be received from the assets employment and subsequent disposal.
The depreciable amount of all fixed assets including capitalised lease assets, but excluding freehold land, are depreciated over their useful lives using the diminishing method commencing from the time the asset is held ready for use. Leasehold improvements are amortised over the shorter of either the unexpired period of the lease or the estimated useful lives of the improvements. Depreciation rates and methods are reviewed annually and, if necessary, adjustments are made.
The depreciation rates used for each class of depreciable asset are:
Class of Asset Depreciation Rate Plant and Equipment 20 – 40%
The gain or loss on disposal of all fixed assets, including re-valued assets, is determined as the difference between the carrying amount of the asset at the time of disposal and the proceeds of disposal, and is included in operating profit before income tax of the economic entity in the year of disposal. Any realised revaluation increment relating to the disposed asset, which is included in the asset revaluation reserve, is transferred to retained earnings at the time of disposal.
(c) Intangibles Licences, Patents and trademarks Licences, patents and trademarks are recognised at cost of acquisition. All intellectual property has a finite life and is carried at cost less any accumulated amortisation and any impairment losses.
Research and Development Expenditure during the research phase of a project is recognised as an expense when incurred. Development costs are capitalised only when technical feasibility studies identify that the project will deliver future economic benefits and these benefits can be measured reliably.
Development costs have a finite life and are amortised on a systematic basis matched to the future economic benefits over the useful life of the project.
(d) Impairment of Assets At each reporting date, the company reviews the carrying values of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have been impaired. If such an indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset, being the higher of the asset’s fair value less costs to sell and value in use, is compared to the asset’s carrying value. Any excess of the asset’s carrying value over its recoverable amount is expensed to the income statement.
(e) Payables A liability is recorded for trade creditors and other accounts payable with respect to goods and services received prior to balance date, whether invoiced to the company or not. Trade creditors and other accounts payable are normally settled within 30 days.
(f) Employee Benefits Provision is made for the company’s liability for employee benefits arising from services rendered by employees to balance date. Employee benefits expected to be settled within one year together with entitlements arising from wages and salaries and annual leave which will be settled after one year, have been measured at the amounts expected to be paid when the liability is settled, plus related on-costs. Other employee benefits payable later than one year have been measured at the present value of the estimated future cash outflows to be made for those benefits.
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Contributions are made by the company to employee superannuation funds and are charged as expenses when incurred.
(g) Provisions Provisions are recognised when the company has a legal or constructive obligation, as a result of past events, for which it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will result and that outflow can be reliably measured.
(h) Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within short-term borrowings in current liabilities on the balance sheet.
For the purposes of the statement of cash flows, cash includes cash on hand and in banks and investments in money market instruments, net of any outstanding bank overdrafts.
(i) Trade Debtors Sales made on credit are included in “Trade Debtors” and are recorded at the balance due, less a provision for doubtful debts for an amount estimated to be uncollectible. Trade debtors are due within 30 days from the end of the month.
(j) Revenue Income is recorded on an accruals basis as the goods are delivered or the service provided. Interest revenue is recognised on a proportional basis taking into account the interest rates applicable to the financial assets.
Government grants are only recognised as revenue when they are received and there is reasonable assurance that the company will or has complied with the conditions attaching to them. Grants are recognised as income over the periods necessary to match them with the related costs which they are intended to compensate.
All revenue is stated net of the amount of goods and services tax (GST).
(k) Financial Instruments Recognition Financial instruments are initially measured at cost on trade date, which includes transaction costs, when the related contractual rights or obligations exist. Subsequent to initial recognition these instruments are measured as set out below.
Loans and receivables Loans and receivables are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active market and are stated at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method.
Financial liabilities Non-derivative financial liabilities are recognised at amortised cost, comprising original debt less principal payments and amortisation.
Fair value Fair value is determined based on current bid prices for all quoted investments. Valuation techniques are applied to determine the fair value for all unlisted securities, including recent arm’s length transactions, reference to similar instruments and option pricing models.
Impairment At each reporting date, the group assess whether there is objective evidence that a financial instrument has been impaired. In the case of available-for-sale financial instruments, a prolonged decline in the value of the instrument is considered to determine whether an impairment has arisen. Impairment losses are recognised in the income statement.
(l) Goods and Services Tax Revenues, expenses and assets are recognised net of the amount of goods and services tax (GST), except where the amount of GST incurred is not recoverable from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). In these circumstances the GST is recognised as part of the cost of acquisitions of the asset or as part of an item of the expense. Receivables and payables are stated with the amount of GST included.
The net amount of GST receivable/payable to the ATO is included as a current asset/liability in the balance sheet.
22 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Cash flows are included in the statement of cash flows on a gross basis. The GST components of cash flows arising from investing and financing activities, which are recoverable from, or payable to the ATO, are classified as operating cash flows.
Comparative figures have also been changed where classifications of income and expenditure items have been altered from the prior year as a result of a review by the directors. The new classifications have been altered to reflect a more accurate view of the company’s operations.
NOTE 2 - REVENUE 30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $
(a) Operating activities MLBAAP MLBAAP income 372,355 334,048 Interest revenue 14 12 Total Revenue 372,369 334,060
(b) Operating expenses MLBAAP MLBAAP expenses 382,104 309,024 Total Operating Expenses 382,104 309,024
(c) Operating Activities ABF ASC grants 1,137,000 1,141,000 Commercial 543,956 473,287 Interest revenue 16,278 7,620 Membership fees 1,015,999 913,626 National Championships and events 1,358,255 1,261,945 National teams 285,295 303,340 Other income 37,799 60,803 Total Revenue 4,394,582 4,161,621
(d) Operating Expenses ABF Audit services 10,675 11,200 Commercial 320,703 254,301 Event Underwrite 112,836 - Interest expense 124 361 Membership 268,125 273,602 National Championships and events 1,247,144 1,185,320 National teams 367,970 504,593 Office and administration 357,824 424,542 Other expenses 311,013 86,559 Payroll and consultants 928,314 930,610 Provision for Doubtful Loans 600,000 - State funding grants 222,000 242,000 Total Operating Expenses 3,913,089 3,913,089
23 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
NOTE 3 - TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES 30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $ Current Trade debtors 390,717 454,883 Provision for doubtful debts (34,941) (17,851) Other receivables 40,004 44,130 Stock on hand 78,899 125,609 Current tax assets - - 474,679 606,771
NOTE 4 - OTHER ASSETS 30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $ Current Loans - other - 6,000 Prepayments 425,440 238,197 425,440 244,197 Non-Current Balance brought forward 600,000 400,000 Movement of loan - 200,000 Lee write up (down) of impaired assets (600,000) - - 600,000 425,440 844,167
NOTE 5 - FINANCIAL ASSETS 30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $ Other (Note 13) 25 25 Investment - ABL 25 25
Australian Baseball League Pty Ltd (ABL) is a company limited by shares, incorporated and domiciled in Australia. The Company’s principal activity is to develop and operate the Australian Baseball League being professional baseball in Australia
24 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
NOTE 6 - PLANT & EQUIPMENT 30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $ Plant & equipment 325,736 290,164 Less: Accumulated depreciation (252,905) 240,471 72,831 49,693
By Category: Furniture & fittings at cost Office equipment at cost Computer equipment at cost Total
Gross carrying amount Balance at 30 June 2015 118,314 65,360 105,845 289,519 Additions: 541 33,408 4,179 38,128 Disposals: (1,913) - (1,913) Balance at 30 June 2016 116,942 98,768 110,042 325,734
Accumulated depreciation Balance at 30 June 2015 96,272 52,691 90,863 239,826 Expense 4,495 3,861 6,508 14,864 Disposals: (1,786) (1,786) Balance at 30 June 2016 98,981 56,552 97,371 252,904 Net carrying amount 17,962 42,217 12,653 72,831
NOTE 7 - TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES
30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $ Unsecured Trade creditors 259,627 369,389 Accrual and other payables 295,465 122,002 555,092 491,391
NOTE 8 - OTHER LIABILITIES 30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $ Current Revenue received in advance 104,909 510,559
NOTE 9 - PROVISIONS
30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $ Current Accrued annual leave 58,612 69,843 Non-Current Long service leave 35,273 32,404 93,885 102,247
25 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
NOTE 10 - RETAINED EARNINGS
General MLBAAP Total $ $ $ 30 June 2014 Balance at the beginning of the period 1,298,270 107,069 1,405,339 Surplus/(Deficit) for the year 261,534 25,036 286,570 Transfer to equity Prior year adjustment Equity at 30 June 2015 1,559,804 132,015 1,691,909
30 June 2015 Balance at the beginning of the period 1,559,804 132,105 1,691,909 Surplus/(Deficit) for the year (i) (352,145) (9,735) 361,880 Transfer to equity Prior year adjustment Equity at 30 June 2016 1,207,659 122,370 1,330,029
(i) The results are grossed up (down) by including funds allocated to MLBAAP by ABF
NOTE 11 - CASH FLOW INFORMATION 30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $ (a) Reallocation of net cash from operating activities to operating profit after income tax
Net profit (loss) after income tax 273,569 273,569
Adjustment for non cash items Depreciation 16,875 16,875
Adjustment for change in assets and liabilities Decrease/(increase) in: Debtors 64,166 - Prepayments 187,243 - Other current assets (264,102) 50,379
Increase/(decrease) in: Accounts payable (109,762) 303,894 Other creditors (238,522) 342,305 Provisions 591,638 2,473 Net cash from operating activities (146,354) 1,209,293
(b) For the purposes of the statement of cash flows, cash includes cash on hand and bank deposits at call net of bank overdrafts. Cash at the end of the year as shown in the statement of cash flows is reconciled to the related items in the accounts as follows:
Reconciliation of cash Cash at bank 1,110,640 1,295,121 Petty cash 300 300 1,110,940 1,295,421
26 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
NOTE 12 - AUDITOR’S REMUNIERATION 30 June 2016 30 June 2015 $ $ Remuneration of the auditor of the company for: Auditing and reviewing of financial accounts 10,675 11,200 Other services - - 10,675 11,200
NOTE 13 - INVESTMENT IN AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE PTY LTD 30 June 2015 30 June 2014 $ $ ABF holds a 25% stake in Australian Baseball League Pty Ltd (ABL)
Equity 25 on dollar ordinary shares (Note 5) 25 25 Long Term Loan (Note 4) 600,000 600,000 Less Provision for Doubtful Loans (600,000) - 25 600,025
27 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16 Business Operations
28 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Baseball Operations Membership & Participation
The 2015/16 year saw the sport reach a membership base of 57,474 full active members by the end of the reporting period, up from 54,100. Exposure Category Participants for 2015-16 also grew to a total of 139,500.
The sport has now experienced nine consecutive years of membership growth, and was re-categorised from a Category D to a Category B sport by the Australian Sports Commission.
Full Active Membership Growth Exposure Category Growth
Aussie T-Ball and Sporting Schools Aussie T-Ball remains as the sports National entry level program, and our major recruitment tool. Sporting Schools has seen Aussie T-Ball delivered far more broadly within schools and provided greater opportunity for conversion to club participation. The sport continues to recognise and investigate the opportunity that exists through T-Ball participation in schools with the view to better engage in this space over coming years.
Women’s Baseball As an identified priority area for the sport, female participation continues to grow. 2015-16 saw a further increase from 8,964 female members to 10,613. This 18.4% growth can be attributed to increased opportunities at a state level including competitions and camps as well as the efforts of the club network.
29 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Coach Development For the first time in 2015-16, Baseball Australia undertook efforts to record numbers of both accredited and non- accredited coaches. This exercise was about further understanding the delivery of the sport and also devising strategies to ensure quality of program delivery and the continued growth of the game.
The number of accredited coaches grew from 1,897 in 2014/15 to 2,388 in 2015/16, and at the same time the number of non-accredited coaches was recorded at 1,636.
Accredited Coaches Non-Accredited Coaches
Officials Development
...... Council of Australian Baseball...... Scorers (CABS) ...... The Council of Australian Baseball Scorers (CABS), coordinated by Lorraine Dunn of South Australia, has established a program of competency grading and accrediting scorers Australia-wide. An accreditation system exists for book scoring (Levels 0 to 5) and computer scoring (Levels 3IT and 4IT).
CABS Technical Commission: Steve Eads (SA), Meri Brearley (QLD), Caroline Adamson (WA)
International Appointments WBSC Premier 12, Jennie Maloney
Development of Scorers The recruitment and training of scorers is conducted by the State Accreditation Coordinators, whose sterling (and voluntary work) has resulted in 547 accredited and financial CABS members nationwide:
State Head Members ACT Vicki Beard 22 members CABS Members by State CNSW Judy Clifford 25 members NSW Sue McCullough 106 members NT Libby Williams 4 members Qld Meri Brealey 175 members SA Enza Henty 109 members Vic Michele Winther 95 members WA Natalie Todd 24 members
State-by-state scorer numbers are as follows:
ACT - 22 | CNSW - 25 | NSW - 106 | NT - 4 | QLD - 175 | SA - 109 | TAS - 0 | VIC - 95 | WA - 24
30 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
...... Umpiring ...... Umpires Directorate (State Directors of Umpiring) Paul Latta (QLD), Trent Thomas (NSW), Matt Pearson National Umpire Numbers (ACT), Ian McKenzie (VIC), Blake Halligan (SA), David Gripper (WA)
International Appointments Brett Robson (WBSC Premier 12, World Baseball Classic Qualifier), Trent Thomas (WBSC U18 World Cup), Kevin McGuire (WBSC U12 World Cup)
Umpires Working Overseas Tom West (MiLB), Takahito Matsuda (MiLB), Jon Byrne (MiLB, to November 2015)
Little League Little League continues to be embraced by the Australian baseball community with Australia now having the 3rd highest number of Little League participants worldwide.
Following on from the successful introduction of the Junior League division in 2014/15, Australia was granted automatic entry to the Junior League World Series in 2016 by Little League International.
2015/16 saw the successful introduction of Senior League (for 13-16 year olds) culminating in the inaugural Australian Senior League Championship in May 2016.
Australian Little League Teams
31 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Australian Senior League Championship Albert Park, Lismore NSW, hosted to the 2016 Australian Senior League Championship, from 14th to the 19th of May.
The Southern Mariners took out the inaugural Australian Senior League Championship after defeating Hills 6-1 in a fantastic final. The Eastern Phantoms took home the bronze after defeating the Adelaide Titans 12-2
1. Southern Mariners 2. Hills 3. Eastern Phantoms 4. Adelaide Titans (In Alphabetical Order) Adelaide Armada Brisbane South Central Coast Cronulla Eastern Athletics ...... Australian Junior League Championship Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Diamond Sports West Beach and Glenelg Championship Baseball Complex, Adelaide SA, hosted to the Albert Park, Lismore NSW, hosted to the 2016 Australian Junior League Championship, 2016 Bendigo Bank Australian Little League from 22nd to the 27th of May. Championship; from 8th to the 13th of June.
Cronulla defeated fellow New South Wales side Hills defeated Central Coast 7-3 in the Ryde 7-4, to become the 2016 Australian Junior championships game, while Ryde defeated League Champions. Adelaide Rays to claim the bronze medal.
1. Cronulla 1. Hills 2. Ryde 2. Central Coast 3. Manly 3. Ryde 4. Northern Metros 4. Adelaide Rays (In Alphabetical Order) 5. Swan Hills Adelaide Pirates 6. Central Firebirds Adelaide Waves 7. Manly Brisbane North 8. Macarthur Canberra 9. Northern Metros Central Firebirds 10. Eastern Athletics Eastern Athletics 11. Brisbane North Eastern Phantoms 12. Brisbane Metro Geelong Baycats 13. Gold Coast Pirates Gold Coast Pirates 14. Adelaide Seahawks Hills 15. Southern Mariners Northern Diamondbacks 16. Canberra Swan Hills Aces (In Alphabetical Order) Coastal Bay Sharks Eastern Phantoms Geelong Baycats Northern Diamondbacks
32 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16 ...... Senior League Asia Pacific Championship Senior League World Series
Local Victorian Charter the Southern Mariners The Southern Mariners of Victoria represented became Australia’s first representatives at the Asia – Pacific Region at the Senior League World Senior League Asia Pacific – Middle East Regional Series. The event was held in Bangor, Maine Championship in Clark, Philippines from July 11 – from the 31st July through to the 6th August 16, emerging as Champions and qualifying for the 2016. The Southern Mariners finished the World Senior League World Series. Series as runners up after being defeated in the championship game 7-2. Game One Game Three Philippines 4 Indonesia 0 Game One Game Three Australia 21 Australia 33 Asia Pacific 8 Latin America 7 US Central 13 Asia Pacific 13 Game Two Game Four Australia 16 Australia 2 Game Two Game Four CNMI 0 Guam 1 US Southwest 1 Asia Pacific 7 Asia Pacific 2 Maine D3 6 Final Guam 0 Final Australia 10 Asia Pacific 2 US Central 7 ...... Junior League World Series
Cronulla of New South Wales were Australia’s first representatives at the Junior League World Series. The event was held in Taylor, Michigan from the 14th through to the 21st August 2016.
Game One Game Two Asia Pacific 5 Australia 3 Australia 1 Latin America 14 ...... Little League World Series
Hills from New South Wales represented Australia at the Little League World Series. The event was held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania from the 18th through to the 28th August 2016. Hills won two games in the double elimination tournament as they became Australia’s most successful team at the Little League World Series to date.
Game One Game Two Game Three Game Four Europe Africa 1 Australia 2 Australia 2 Mexico 10 Australia 3 Latin America 3 Caribbean 1 Australia 0
33 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
National Championships ...... U16 National Championship U18 National Championship
For the first time in 37 years, South Australia For the first time three decades, Country NSW won the claimed the U16 National Championship, beating U18 National Championship defeating Victoria Blue 4-1. Victoria Blue 7-4. Western Australia defeated While New South Wales defeated Queensland to walk Victoria White to take home the bronze. away with the Bronze Medal
1. South Australia 1. Country NSW 2. Victoria Blue 2. Victoria Blue 3. Western Australia 3. New South Wales 4. Victoria White 4. Queensland 5. Queensland 5. Western Australia 6. New South Wales 6. Canberra 7. Country NSW 7. South Australia 8. Canberra 8. Victoria White
Awards Awards
Golden Bat Jarryd Dale (VIC Blue) Golden Bat Jordan McArdle (SA) Golden Glove Dawson Summers (WA) Golden Glove Harrison Fullerton (NSW) Golden Arm Duane Johannsen (QLD) Golden Arm Mitchell Inskip (CNSW) MVP Jarryd Dale (VIC Blue) MVP Oliver Dunn (VIC Blue) ...... National Women’s Championship Youth Women’s Championship
NSW made it three wins in a row after winning Western Australia won the gold-medal matchup 5-4 the gold-medal matchup 11-7 over Victoria. over Queensland. New South Wales took out the Western Australia took out the bronze defeating bronze. Queensland. 1. Western Australia 1. New South Wales 2. Queensland 2. Victoria 3. New South Wales 3. Western Australia 4. New South Wales Country 4. Queensland 5. Victoria 5. Australian Capital Territory Awards Awards Golden Bat Jenna Dyer (QLD) Golden Bat Tahnee Lovering (NSW) Golden Glove Kelsey Brennan (WA) Golden Glove Tammy McMillan (QLD) Golden Arm Natasha McDonnell (NSW) Golden Arm Kim McMillan (NSW) MVP Emma Froemke (WA) MVP Laura Neads (NSW)
34 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
National Teams U18 Canada vs Australia WBSC Friendly Series Australia took on Canada at Surfers Paradise Baseball Club in an eight game series. The series was sanctioned by the WBSC. Australia won the series 7 games to 1.
First Last Pos. State Team First Last Pos. State Team Max Barrett Pitcher VIC Joshua Rawlinson Utility WA George Callil Infield VIC Rhys Steedman Pitcher WA Jye Deeble Pitcher QLD Ben Tsui Outfield NSW Jack Enciondo Pitcher VIC Nate Vankan Outfield QLD Dean Frew Infield NSW Alexander Wells Pitcher NSW Joshua Hendrickson Pitcher WA Lachlan Wells Pitcher NSW Mitch Holding Catcher VIC Jess Williams Utility WA Ryan Kift Outfield WA Daniel Myrmell Outfield NSW Tristan King Catcher WA Mason Pickard Infield SA Lachlan MacDonald Pitcher QLD Kyle Cross Pitcher NSW James McCallum Outfield NSW Brad Inglis Pitcher ACT Mitchell Neunborn Utility WA Alan Kenny Pitcher WA James Percival Outfield NSW Michael Ryan Pitcher WA
Coaches Steve Fish (Manager, WA), Graeme Lloyd (Pitching Coach, WA), Damian Shanahan (Assistant Coach, VIC), Glenn Williams (Assistant Coach, NSW) Ben Onofrio (Physio, SA) Neil Barrowcliff (EO, NSW) ......
U18 World Cup The U18 Team travelled to Osaka Japan to take part on the U18 World Cup. The team performed extremely well to come away with a fourth place finish.
First Last Pos. State Team First Last Pos. State Team Max Barrett Pitcher VIC James McCallum Outfield NSW George Callil Infield VIC Mitchell Neunborn Utility WA Jye Deeble Pitcher QLD James Percival Outfield NSW Jack Enciondo Pitcher VIC Joshua Rawlinson Utility WA Dean Frew Infield NSW Rhys Steedman Pitcher WA Joshua Hendrickson Pitcher WA Ben Tsui Outfield NSW Mitch Holding Catcher VIC Nate Vankan Outfield QLD Ryan Kift Outfield WA Alexander Wells Pitcher NSW Tristan King Catcher WA Lachlan Wells Pitcher NSW Lachlan MacDonald Pitcher QLD Jess Williams Utility WA
Coaches Steve Fish (Manager, WA), Graeme Lloyd (Pitching Coach, WA), Damian Shanahan (Assistant Coach, VIC), Glenn Williams (Assistant Coach, NSW), Ben Onofrio (Physio, SA), Neil Barrowcliff (EO, NSW)
35 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
ABL All-Star Game Team Australia took on the World All-Stars at the Australian Baseball League All-Star game hosted in Melbourne in December. Team Australia won the game in walk-off fashion, 3-2.
First Last Pos. ABL Team First Last Pos. ABL Team Craig Anderson LHP SYDNEY Robbie Perkins C CANBERRA Daniel Schmidt LHP PERTH Josh Dean 1B SYDNEY Matt Timms RHP BRISBANE Brad Harman SS MELBOURNE Scott Mitchinson RHP PERTH Darryl George 3B MELBOURNE Steve Kent LHP CANBERRA Sam Kennelly 3B PERTH Steve Chambers RHP ADELAIDE Logan Wade SS BRISBANE Wayne Lundrgen RHP SYDNEY Mitch Nilsson 2B BRISBANE Ryan Searle RHP BRISBANE Andrew Campbell OF BRISBANE Aaron Sookee RHP SYDNEY Angus Roeger OF ADELAIDE Josh Tols LHP ADELAIDE Luke Hughes OF PERTH Matthew Williams RHP ADELAIDE Tom Brice OF ADELAIDE Allan de San Miguel C PERTH David Sutherland OF BRISBANE Trent D’Antonio UT SYDNEY Aaron Whitefield OF BRISBANE
Coaches Jon Deeble (Manager), Tony Harris (3B Coach), Phil Dale (Pitching Coach), Graeme Lloyd (Bench Coach), Kevin Jordan (1B Coach) ......
Spring Training Tour With the backing of Major League Baseball, 26 of the countries best young players headed to Florida in March. The team played a combination of games against a European All-Star team and several professional organisations Rookie Level clubs. The team ended the trip with a 3-4 record, including a win against the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers.
The trip included opportunities to spend time with over a dozen current and former Australian professional players who are located in Florida.
First Last Pos. State Team First Last Pos. State Team Jacob Amos NSW C / OF Samuel Jones QLD RHP Max Barrett VIC RHP Jordan McArdle SA C Joshua Bedggood QLD LHP James McCallum NSW 1B / OF Ulrich Bojarski WA C / 1B Mitchell Neunborn WA RHP / INF George Callil VIC SS Jack O’Loughlin SA LHP Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis ACT RHP James Percival NSW OF Jarryd Dale VIC SS Mason Pickard SA OF Jye Deeble QLD LHP Jordan Power WA RHP Oliver Dunn VIC RHP / INF Joshua Rawlinson WA RHP / INF Dean Frew NSW 2B / SS Joshua Robins NSW RHP Harrison Fullerton NSW RHP / INF Brody Seignior QLD LHP Joshua Hendrickson WA LHP Benjamin Tsui NSW OF Mitchell Holding VIC C Nate Vankan QLD OF
Coaches Steve Fish (Manager, WA), Graeme Lloyd (Pitching Coach, WA), Damian Shanahan (Assistant Coach, VIC), Glenn Williams (Assistant Coach, NSW), Ben Onofrio (Physio, SA), Neil Barrowcliff (EO, NSW)
36 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
U15 World Cup The U15 National team attended the U15 World Cup in Iwaki Japan and finished in 11th place.
First Last Pos. ABL Team First Last Pos. ABL Team Daniel Bannon NSW 2B JD Winlaw QLD C, 2B Ben Fierenzi VIC 2B Declan Croker VIC P Jo Stevens NSW INF Dylan Walsh WA 3B Liam McCallum NSW P/OF Liam Evans VIC P Tyson McKee SA P Matthew Martin WA P/OF Will Kortekaas SA P Maxim Watson QLD P Blake Cavill NSW P/INF Zac Mansfield QLD P/OF Ky Jackson NSW P/INF Chris Burke VIC C Hayden Lyberopoulos NSW C/P/OF Thomas Horne NSW P Caleb Shepherd NSW C Blake Townsend VIC P
Coaches Andrew Kyle (Manager), Graeme Lloyd (Pitching Coach), Mark Shipley (Assistant Coach), Damian Shanahan (Assistant Coach), Neil Barrowcliff (EO), Kyle Mitchell (Physio)......
MLB Australian Academy Program Fifty of Australia’s best young players, as well as five Internationals, converged onto the Gold Coast for the 16th MLBAAP. First Last State Pos. First Last State Pos. Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis ACT P Mason Clavell SA C Jake Green ACT P Jordan McArdle SA C Liam Holm NSW P Ciaran Palmer VIC C Oliver Howitt NSW P Harrison Fullerton NSW SS/P Joshua Robins NSW P Shane Kelleher NSW SS Mitchell Skinner NSW P Jason Matthews NZ SS/2B Alex Osborne NSWC P Luke Cronan QLD 3B Kyle Glogoski NZ P Dermot Fritsch QLD SS Elliot Johnstone NZ P Jacob Nilsson QLD 1B Tom Rees QLD P Alex Barling VIC 3B Josh Bedggood QLD P Jordan Barnett VIC SS Duane Johannsen QLD P Jarryd Dale VIC SS Taliesin Tardrew-O’Meara QLD P Oliver Dunn VIC SS/P Luke Turner QLD P Joshua Meyer VIC 3B/P Jack O’Loughlin SA P Brock Wells VIC 3B/P Ky Hampton SA P Ulrich Bojarski WA 1B/C Declan Steel SA P Alex Hall WA SS Matthew Beattie VIC P David John WA SS Liam Madden VIC P Dawson Summers WA SS Jamie Young VIC P Jesse Williams WA SS/P Jake Baker WA P Alex Fisher NSWC CF Jackson Riley WA P Aaron Cheng CHINA OF Lochlan Southee WA P Jacob Amos NSWC RF/C Maclain Wilson WA P Nic Anderson-Vine NSWC RF Mitchell Edwards ACT C Correze Nepia NZ OF/1B Rixon Wingrove NSWC C Liam Taylor QLD CF Jordon Thomson QLD C Luke Cartwright VIC OF Joshua Diggins WA CF Coaches Jon Deeble- Head Coach, Tony Harris- Field Coordinator, Damian Shanahan- Outfield Coordinator, Jason Pospishil- Infield Coordinator, Kevin Jordan*- Hitting Coordinator, David Nilsson*- Hitting Coach, Luke Hughes*- Team Manager, Graeme Lloyd*- Pitching Coach, Mark Shipley- Infield Coach, Tyrone Hambly- Hitting Coach, Phil Allen- Team Manager, Mark Hutton*- Pitching Coach, Michael Nakamura*- Pitching Coach, Dan Beattie- Pitching Coach, Dan Betreen- Pitching Coach, Tim Ballard- Pitching Coach, Shayne Watson- Team Manager, Gareth, Jones- Hitting Coach, Landon Hernandez- Hitting Coach, Andrew Utting- Hitting Coach, Tyler Chappell- Pitching Coach, Matt Corbitt- Assistant Coach, Andrew Kyle- Infield Coach, Kevin Cantwell- Camp Mentor, Neil Barrowcliff- Education Coordinator, Bill O’Sullivan- Operations Manager, Kentaro Ueda- Operations Manager, Bruce Rawson- Medical Director 37 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
A-ROO Development Programs Phoenix Cup The U18 A-Roo Women’s development team travelled to the Phoenix Cup and finished the tournament in third place
First Last Pos. State Team First Last Pos. State Team Kelsey Brennan P/C/IF WA Emma French P VIC Caitlin Gordon P/IF WA Brittany Cedelland P VIC Meaghan Haggart LHP/IN/OF WA Sinead Byrne-Connell P VIC Chloe Humphreys IF/P QLD Madeline Davis IF VIC Abbey Kelly SS VIC Amy West OF QLD Natassha McDonnell P NSW Grace Zylstra OF/P QLD Taneeca Moss IF/OF QLD Pheebe Watson C/OF NSW Brittany Smith P/IF QLD Jordan Richardson IF NSW Olivia Stevens C/OF QLD Emma Flatley IF/P QLD
Coaches Lisa Norrie (Heach Coach), Ashleigh Ross (Assistant Coach), Shannon Moss (Assistant Coach) ......
Cal Ripken Baseball Australia again sent an A-Roo development team to the Cal Ripken World Series. First Last State First Last State James Nati NSW Caleb Goodwin WA Robbie Brennan SA Parker Robinson NSW Bradlee Marsh SA Damian Eagles NSW Jaxon Forbes NSW Riley Yeatman SA Jack Bennetts NSW Maddux Stivey WA Joshua Beezley NSW Nicholas Parton VIC Hayden Peoples VIC Tyson Noel WA Zach Newbold NSW Coaches Head Coach: Dean Marnell (VIC), Assistant Coach: Andrew Scott (SA), Assistant Coach: Shayne Watson (QLD) Executive Officer: Darryn Ferris (NSW)
38 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Marketing & Communications Australian Baseball has continued to expand its media footprint with significant growth across its various digital channels including baseball.com.au, southernthunder.baseball.com.au, emeralds. baseball.com.au, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, ABLTV and its coverage through the traditional media, as detailed below.
Social Media Growth - Baseball Australia Assets The Australian Baseball community relies on social media and other digital platforms for the majority of it news, in the absence of significant coverage in the mainstream media. Social media audiences continue to grow significantly with BA Facebook growing its audience by 41% in 2015/16, compared to 21% growth the previous year.
Social Media Growth
39 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
ABL - The Marketing of Baseball
The ABL continues to play a significant role in the marketing of baseball in Australia. Now in its second year – ABLtv delivered 5.6 million unique video views in 2015-16, an increase of 230% season-on-season.
ABLtv, which streams live games to ABL fans, both in Australia and internationally, was viewed in 232 countries, with the US (956,382), Australia (502,189) and UK (277,922) the top three countries for viewership.
There were 357,272 unique viewers of streamed ABL games in 2014/15 - 115% increase from the first season of ABL.tv.
Importantly, The ABL was able to drive the publication of 4,634 stories in 2015-16, which generated 345,860,686 impressions.
Staffing
Following 5 year’s service, Trish Quayle vacated the role of Head of Marketing and Communications (December, 2015), and was replaced by Clinton Bown as Head of Communications and Digital Marketing (February, 2016). Further, Sam Finn (April, 2016) joined Baseball Australia as Communications and Digital Marketing Coordinator. This team will have a far greater focus on growing member engagement through digital platforms, digital marketing and content production.
Publications
Baseball Australia produced its first full colour magazine Pathways in June 2016. The 28 page magazine was designed to demonstrate to young readers and their families, the various pathways available to young people in Australian Baseball. Pathways was distributed to every junior participant at the 2016 Australian Little League Championships.
40 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Facilities & Government Relations High quality facilities that cater for our ABL supporters and participants at all levels of our game remains a priority for Baseball Australia. Since the re-launch of the ABL in 2010, BA has generated over $24 million in government funding and facility commitments and we will continue to work with all levels of government to progress these important projects across Australia.
Baseball Park WA - $6M Commitment from Federal Government
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that the Federal Government will commit $6 million towards Stage 2 of the Redevelopment of Baseball Park WA, adding to the $1 million contribution from the State Government of Western Australia. The upgrade will include new seating with increased capacity, international standard lighting, grassed seating terraces, new spectator amenities, and improved premium seating.
Narrabundah Ballpark ACT - $4.5M Commitment from State Gov.
The ACT Government announced a $4.5 million contribution to the redevelopment of Narrabundah Ballpark. The upgrade will include an extended grandstand, new spectator amenities, reshaped fencelines, refurbished clubhouses, and new batting cages.
41 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Blacktown International Sportspark, NSW – WBC Qualifier
Destination NSW sponsored the first-ever World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Australia in February 2016. The event was also supported by Blacktown City Council, who contributed significantly towards the refurbishment of the facility in preparation for the event.
Essendon Baseball Club, VIC - Chris Lane Memorial Little League
Moonee Valley Council has approved the Development Application for the construction of the Chris Lane Memorial Field to commemorate Essendon Baseball Club’s Chris Lane, who was tragically killed while following his dream of playing baseball in the USA. Construction for the project is expected to commence in 2017 with the significant support of Major League Baseball, Musco Sports Lighting, and Moonee Valley Council, who have also announced a commitment to fund refurbished change rooms at Essendon Baseball Club to make them more
Melbourne Ballpark, VIC – 2015 ABL All Star Game
The 2015 ABL All-Star Game was hosted in Melbourne for the 4th consecutive year with the support of the Victorian Government, setting an attendance record for Melbourne Ballpark with an event that combines sport, music, and culture.accessible to female participants.
Diamond Sports Centre, West Beach, SA – Baseball Complex Opens
The Baseball and Softball facilities were completed at the ground-breaking Diamond Sports Centre at Adelaide Shores. Baseball held its inaugural season at the facility during the 2015/16 season, ending with the state finals in March. Due to the success of the construction, the Bite will relocate to the venue for the 2016/17 ABL Season. This venue presents significant opportunities for hosting venue for national and international events at many levels of the sport.
42 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Albert Park Lismore, NSW - Bendigo Bank Little League Championship
With the support of Destination NSW and Lismore City Council, Baseball Australia hosted the Bendigo Bank Australian Little League and Australian Senior League Baseball Championships at Albert Park, Lismore. The Albert Park complex redevelopment master plan was also completed with the goal of generating funding for the $4M redevelopment of the facility in the next year.
Holloway Field, QLD - Venue upgrades for the Bandits
The Brisbane Bandits had significant venue improvements process leading up to the 2015/16 ABL season, focusing on premium seating, increased capacity and group entertainment areas. These Improvements helped the Bandits set attendance and revenue records during the 2015/16 season en-route to their first ever ABL Championship Series.
Government Relations Events in Canberra, ACT and Sydney, NSW
Baseball Australia and the ABL once again sponsored the US Embassy’s 4th of July Independence Day Party in Canberra, providing Government Officials and Embassy Staff with an opportunity to try their skills at baseball.
Baseball NSW / Sydney Blue Sox also hosted a 2015/16 ABL season launch event at Parliament House in NSW featuring Blue Sox #1 Ticket Holder, and NSW Premier, Mike Baird.
43 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Commercial Development Budget of $380,000 for rebates, cash sponsorship and contra sponsorship was surpassed by $3,652 resulting in an actual income total of $383,652 for the 2015/16 financial year.
Key Partnerships
Bendigo Bank: Bendigo Bank is the official bank of Baseball Australia, presenting partner of Australian Little League and naming rights partner of the Australian Little League Championship.
Boral: Completed their first year as a major partner with naming rights to the 2015 ABL All-Star Game along with naming rights for the Women’s National Team, the Emeralds, who will participate in the 2016 Women’s World Cup.
Aces Sporting Club: A strong supporter of baseball in Australia with a genuine desire to help the sport succeed long term.
Hertz: Hertz became the official rental vehicle partner of Baseball Australia.
Virgin Australia: The official domestic airline of Baseball Australia.
Majestic: Continued its relationship as the official uniform provider for Baseball Australia.
New Era: New Era continued their support of Baseball Australia with both a cash contribution plus supply of all Team Australia game hats.
Gabba Sports: Gabba is a preferred supplier to Baseball Australia and a contributor to a number of facility development projects nationally.
Rawlings: Supports Baseball Australia with a variety of baseball eqipment including baseballs, helmets and catcher’s gear.
V-Insurance: Long term partner as the official insurance broker of Baseball Australia.
Sam Bat: Based in Canada, Sam Bat supports Baseball Australia as our official bat supplier.
Accor Hotels: Preferred hotel supplier to Baseball Australia.
Fielders Choice: Fielders Choice has been a longtime partner of baseball and remains our official retail partner.
Compass Global Markets: Official FX partner to the sport and also sponsor of the Sydney Blue Sox.
Sportslink International: The official tour provider for Baseball Australia organises tours to key international baseball events across the United States, Asia, and Australia.
Kangaroo Photos: The official photographer of for all national championships across Australia.
Angove Wines: The official wine of Baseball Australia provides product for our major events.
44 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) entered new territory in its sixth season, setting benchmarks in attendance, ticket sales and media exposure all while continuing to showcase truly elite on-field performances.
Fan engagement was at an all-time high, not only with record numbers through the turnstiles, but the re- emergence of live regular -season games broadcast on Australian TV for the first time in almost two decades.
The year also saw many firsts on the field, highlighted by the Brisbane Bandits claiming the championship in their first ever playoff appearance in the new league, and first Claxton Shield title for Queensland since 2006.
With an expanded 56-game home and away schedule, 2015-16 saw more game action than ever before, with 217 players representing 10 different countries and 22 different professional teams from the USA (MLB), and Japan (NPB).
The ABL digital media platforms, highlighted by ABLTV, grew exponentially with over 5.6 million unique views of ABL video content totalling more than 211,000 hours of ABL content watched across all platforms. This combined with 25%+ growth in the ABL’s social media following, set new standards in digital media engagement for fans.
Our playing cohort continued to shine, with many of Australia’s best players returning to the ABL and using 2015-16 as an ideal preparation for the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in February. Likewise, with more than 85 international players gracing our shores, we were treated to a tantalising mix of seasoned professionals and future MLB stars in the making – highlight by another six ABL Alumni making their debuts during the 2016 MLB season; Joey Rickard (Bandits/Orioles), Ji-Man Choi (Bite/Angels), Tyler Goeddel (Bandits/Phillies), Warwick Saupold (Heat/Tigers), Blake Smith (Bite/White Sox) and James Beresford (Aces/Twins).
The 2015 ABL All-Star Game presented by Boral marked the fourth straight year that Melbourne played host to the mid-season marquee showcase and was again able to combine off-field fun and headline rock acts with on- field heroics and a walk-off 3-2 win for Team Australia.
In the front office, this season saw many new faces join the fold and three of six teams set all-time highs in terms of revenue. Overall record attendance and ticket sales were the result of a significant focus on improved customer experiences at our ballparks with fully catered options like Adelaide’s “Shark Tank”, Brisbane’s “Corral”, Canberra’s “Bunker Boxes” and Melbourne’s “Party Deck” all proving increasingly popular with fans.
In terms of partnerships, the ABL embarked on several new multi-year agreements, headlined by major partners Boral and Bendigo Bank who like all our valued sponsors helped deliver the game into more communities around the country and across the globe than ever before.
Ultimately, the 2015-16 season yet again proved the brilliance of our players, the tenacity of our staff and volunteers, and the seemingly undying loyalty of our fans as the Brisbane Bandits took home the Claxton Shield. With six completed seasons the ABL has truly established itself amongst the wider community as a mainstay of the contemporary Australian sporting landscape.
45 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Commercial Partnerships
2015-16 marked the first year that all six ABL clubs and the league’s two marquee events (All Star Game and Finals Series) had secured naming rights partners in the same year. Growing attendance and digital profile led to the highest level of naming rights partnerships in the leagues six-year history with over one-third of sponsorship revenue delivered through naming rights partners.
Similarly, official ABL licensees and major service providers have established an unshakable foundation upon which the ABL continues to grow. Companies like Rawlings, Sam Bat, New Era, Virgin Australia, Delta Airlines, Hertz and many more others continued their long-running support of the league with many brands expanding upon their initial investment throughout the year.
ABL Major Partners Boral, Bendigo Bank, Virgin Australia, Levi’s, Rawlings, Sam Bat, New Era, Hertz, Delta, Conoco Phillips
Team Naming Rights Partners SA Power Networks, WellDog, MIT Services, Jet Couriers, Healthway, Compass Global Markets
Media & PR
The League’s media landscape continued to evolve during the year, with the standout growth of ABLTV and the launch of ‘Game of the Week’ on ESPN the crowning achievements for 2015-16.
Under and expansion of the existing partnership with ESPN and simulcast on the MLB Network, the ABL launched a regular season game of the week from Dec 27 through to the end of the season, which generated a total audience reach of 567,420 over five games.
This was supplemented by a combined audience of 482,200 for the All-Star Game and ABL Championship Series – representing a 10% increase on the corresponding games the year prior.
These impressive broadcast increases form only part of the picture with headline figures showing substantial growth across all areas of media engagement:
• 5.6 million unique video views of ABLTV content (134% Increase) • 89,000 Facebook followers (26% increase) • 46,000 Twitter followers (20% increase) • 4,634 major news stories across TV, Print and Radio. (49% Increase)
On-Field
While the 2015/16 ABL Season displayed many evolving characteristics in terms of business operations, the one constant remained the elite player performances and heart-thumping excitement of all the action ‘between the lines’.
With a 56-game regular season (the most ever in the new league) ABL fans were treated to 173 games in total, culminating in a tense playoff series that saw Brisbane host, and win, the ABL Championship for the first time.
After clinching the minor premiership, the Bandits were clearly the team to beat, highlighted by several players riding career best performances to Claxton Shield glory. None more so than Ryan Searle whose transition to bullpen proved an inspired move as he racked up an all-time ABL record 17 saves across 31 appearances. Searle joined teammates Justin Williams and rookie standout Aaron Whitefield in a near clean sweep of the ABL’s post-season awards, with only ABL stalwart Allan De San Miguel’s unrivalled defensive prowess standing in their way.
46 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
ABL Awards
- Helms Award (MVP) – Justin Williams, OF, Brisbane Bandits - SAM BAT Champion Crusher Award - Justin Williams, OF, Brisbane Bandits - New Era Pitching Champion – Ryan Searle, RHP, Brisbane Bandits - Reliever of the Year – Ryan Searle, RHP, Brisbane Bandits - Rawlings Golden Glove – Allan de San Miguel, C, Perth Heat - Rookie of the Year – Aaron Whitefield, OF, Brisbane Bandits
International stars were again on show with 13 Major League clubs and two Japanese organisations assigning players to the ABL – bringing the cumulative total to 195 affiliated players from 27 international clubs since inception.
These stars, in concert with our home-grown heroes find no better pace to shine than in the ABL’s annual All-Star Game. The 2015 Australian Baseball League All-Star Game, presented by Boral was another blockbuster with a record Melbourne attendance and after a tight battle dominated by the pitchers, Team Australia walked off the World All-Stars for the second straight year late game heroics cementing 3-2 win.
All-Star Game Box Score
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
World All-Stars 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 9 4
Australia 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 6 2
At the Major-League level, the ABL continues to prove a breeding ground for future MLB players as six more ABL alumni made their debuts. Joey Rickard (Bandits/Orioles), Ji-Man Choi (Bite/Angels), Tyler Goeddel (Bandits/ Phillies), Warwick Saupold (Heat/Tigers), Blake Smith (Bite/White Sox) and James Beresford (Aces/Twins) joined 15 other players who have first appeared in the ‘show’ after a stint in the ABL. Couple that with former MLB players looking to extend their careers in Australia and the ABL can now boast 43 players with experience at the game’s highest level.
Category Leaders
Batting Average
Player CLUB AVG G AB R H HR RBI Harris, David CAN .346 48 179 38 62 6 19 D’Antonio, Trent SYD .344 45 157 36 54 3 32 Williams, Justin BRI .342 47 184 33 63 10 33 Pounds, Bryan CAN .325 50 163 28 53 7 35 Wik, Marc ADE .324 53 170 38 55 2 23 Unroe, Riley BRI .318 55 211 42 67 0 25 Petty, Kyle ADE .317 55 208 39 66 14 44 Wade, Logan BRI .315 35 130 21 41 5 20 Leblebijian, Jason CAN .312 51 202 39 63 8 44 Vavra, Tanner MEL .309 52 165 31 51 2 22
47 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Pitching
PITCHER CLUB W-L ERA IP H BB SO Searle, Ryan BRI 5-2 0.40 45.0 26 9 54 Balog, Alex SYD 5-2 1.35 46.2 34 13 45 Mitchinson, Scott PER 3-2 1.83 39.1 39 18 40 Tols, Josh ADE 4-1 2.23 48.1 34 17 46 Carl, Edwin PER 4-2 2.95 85.1 62 28 85 Teasley, Rick BRI 7-4 3.01 77.2 81 20 63 Kent, Steven CAN 6-4 3.04 77.0 75 23 79 Larkins, Matthew MEL 6-6 3.06 97.0 87 28 68 Bailey, Tom PER 4-2 3.14 51.2 51 19 47 Grening, Brian CAN 6-4 3.47 85.2 84 24 83 ......
Misc. Stats
Games Played At Bats Wins Travis Demeritte, ADE 56 Bralin Jackson, BRI 216 Steve Chambers, ADE 8 Mitch Nilsson, BRI 55 Derek Peterson, PER 214 Jason Jarvis, BRI 8 Kyle Petty, ADE 55 Riley Unroe, BRI 211 Rick Teasley, BRI 7
Saves Home Runs Runs Batted In Ryan Searle, BRI 17 Kyle Petty, ADE 14 Jason Leblebijian, CAN 44 Kody Kerski, ADE 11 Allan de San Miguel, PER 10 Kyle Petty, ADE 44 Michael Click, CAN 10 Justin Williams 10 Rhys Hoskins, SYD 43
Games Pitched Strikeouts Stolen Bases Ryan Searle, BRI 31 Edwin Carl, PER 85 Riley Unroe, BRI 14 Eric Green, BRI 29 Brian Grening, CAN 83 Logan Moon, MEL 12 Matt Timms, BRI 28 Steven Kent, CAN 79 Kyle Petty, ADE 12
Hits Innings Pitched Walks Riley Unroe, BRI 67 Matthew Larkins, MEL 97 Jan Stoecklin, SYD 43 Kyle Petty, ADE 66 Jason Jarvis, BRI 89 Nick Veale, PER 37 Jason Leblebijian, CAN 63 Brian Grening, CAN 85 Steven Chambers, ADE 33
On-Base Percentage Slugging Percentage WHIP Trent D’Antonio, SYD .469 Kyle Petty, ADE .582 Ryan Searle, BRI 0.78 Marc Wik, ADE .468 Justin Williams, BRI .582 Alex Balog, SYD 1.01 Bryan Pounds, CAN .437 Ryan Miller, CAN .578 Edwin Carl, PER 1.05
Batting Average Against Ryan Searle, BRI .165 Edwin Carl, PER .199 Josh Tols, ADE .200
48 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Attendance & Playoffs
On the facilities front, the high-quality of play and year-on-year growth in attendance have combined to push our stadia around the country to new heights.
Corporate seating upgrades to Melbourne Ballpark, Holloway Field (Brisbane) and Blacktown International Sportspark (Sydney) were all welcome improvements during 2015-16; however, it was the announcement of more than $10 million in combined funding for upgrades of Canberra’s ‘Fort’ and Perth’s Baseball Park that best demonstrate the undeniable impact the ABL continues to have on baseball best baseball facilities across the country.
Ultimately however the focus remained on the diamond where the season belonged to the Brisbane Bandits, who rallied late in the year and defied a previous best finish of 4th to claim their maiden title in the new Australian Baseball League.
ABL Final Standings (Regular Season)
TEAM W L PCT GB HOME AWAY L10 Streak Brisbane Bandits 37 19 .661 -- 23-5 14-14 9-1 W4 Canberra Cavalry 31 25 .554 6.0 18-10 13-15 5-5 L1 Adelaide Bite 30 26 .536 7.0 18-10 12-16 7-3 W1 Sydney Blue Sox 26 29 .473 10.5 18-9 8-20 3-7 W2 Perth Heat 23 33 .411 14.0 12-16 11-17 2-8 L4 Melbourne Aces 20 35 .364 16.5 10-18 10-17 3-7 L2
ABL Playoff Results
ABL Preliminary Finals Game One: Adelaide 6 def Canberra 4 W: Tols (1-0, 5.06); L: Grening (0-1, 9.00); SV: van Mil (1) HR: CAN: Miller, R (1). ADE: Demeritte 2 (2).
Game Two: Canberra 3 def Adelaide 2 W: Kent (1-0, 3.00); L: Ito (0-1, 5.40); SV: Click (1) HR: ADE: Petty (1). CAN: Pounds (1).
Game Three: Adelaide 9 def Canberra 2 W: Talbot (1-0, 1.59); L: Cone (0-1, 13.50) HR: ADE: Petty (2), Demeritte 2 (4).
ABL Championship Series Game One: Brisbane 7 def Adelaide 4 W: Jarvis (1-0, 7.20); L: Tols (0-1, 16.88); SV: Searle (1) HR: ADE: Roeger (1). BRI: Jackson, B (1), Bennett (1).
Game Two: Brisbane 7 def Adelaide 1 W: Blackley (1-0, 1.50); L: Chambers (0-1, 9.00) HR: ADE: Petty (1). BRI: Lutz (1).
49 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Australian Baseball Hall of Fame First Name Family Name Era Category State Inducted Tony Adamson 1989-99 Player WA 2005 Les Agnew 1900-1918 Player NSW 2005 Rod Byrne 1968-88 Manager WA 2005 Kevin Cantwell 1947-67 Player NSW 2005 Norrie Claxton 1900-18 Manager SA 2005 Phil Dale 1989-99 Player VIC 2005 Graeme Deany 1947-67 Player VIC 2005 Don Deeble 1947-67 Player VIC 2005 George Dickinson 1919-46 Player WA 2005 Alf Emmerick 1919-46 Player NSW 2005 Rue Ewers Pre 1900 Player SA 2005 Billy Ford 1919-46 Player NSW 2005 Harold Franks 1900-18 Player NSW 2005 Tom Gleeson Pre 1900 Player NSW 2005 Kevin Greatrex 1968-88 Player SA 2005 Ken Gulliver 1919-46 Player NSW 2005 Larry Home 1968-88 Player QLD, NSW, WA 2005 Ron Johnson 1989-99 Player QLD 2005 Cec Kemp 1947-67 Manager NSW 2005 Frank Laver Pre 1900 Manager VIC 2005 Ray Lawler 1946-67 Player NSW 2005 Graeme Lloyd 1989-99 Player VIC 2005 Eric McElhone 1900-18 Player NSW 2005 Ron Mc Pherson 1947-67 Player NSW, WA 2005 Adrian Meagher 1968-88 Player QLD 2005 David Mundy 1968-88 Player SA 2005 Bob Nilsson 1989-99 Player QLD 2005 David Nilsson 1989-99 Player QLD 2005 Neil Page 1968-88 Player SA 2005 Charlie Puckett 1918-46 Player SA 2005 Dave Roberts 1947-67 Player SA 2005 Andrew Scott 1989-99 Player SA 2005 James Searle Pre 1900 Manager NSW 2005 Ron Sharpe 1919-46 Player SA 2005 Craig Shipley 1989-99 Player NSW 2005 Harry Simpson Pre 1900 Player NSW, SA, VIC 2005 Ross Straw 1947-67 Player VIC 2005 John Swanson 1968-88 Player VIC 2005 Harold Turner 1900-18 Manager NSW 2005 Kingsley Wellington 1947-67 Manager SA 2005 Ernie Yum 1919-46 Player NSW 2005 Alan Albury 1968-88 Player QLD 2006 Jon Deeble 1999- Manager VIC 2006 Merv Deigan 1947-67 Player NSW 2006 Lionel Harris 1968-88 Player NSW 2006 Ray Michell 1968-88 Player WA 2006 Jack Rowley 1947-67 Player NSW 2006 Charles Simmonds 1900-18 Player NSW 2006 Bill Edmonds 1947-67 Player NSW 2007 Matthew Sheldon-Collins 1989-99 Player VIC 2007 Shayne Bennett 1989-99 Player SA 2008 Harold Kennett 1919-46 Player NSW 2008 Don Knapp 1968-88 Player WA 2008 50 Baseball Australia Annual Report / 2015-16
Australian Baseball Hall of Fame (Cont.) First Name Family Name Era Category State Inducted Wallace Pratt 1900-18 Player NSW 2008 Paul Elliott 1989-99 Player NSW 2009 Gary White 1989-99 Player NSW 2009 David Clarkson 1989-99 Player VIC 2010 Cyril Graham 1919-46 Player NSW 2010 Doug Mateljan 1968-88 Player WA 2010 Montague Noble 1900-18 Player NSW 2010 Andrew Watson 1900-18 Player NSW 2010 Grahame Cassel 1989-99 Player NSW 2011 Norman White 1947-67 Player SA 2011 Dick Shirt 1968-88 Player NSW 2012 Simone Wearne 2000- Player VIC 2012 Glenn Williams 2000- Player NSW 2012 Geoff Martin 1968-88 Player QLD 2013 Joe Quinn Pre 1900 Player QLD 2013 Don Rice 1947-67 Player SA 2013 Sydney Smith Pre 1900 Player SA 2013 Garry Thompson 1947-67 Player SA 2013 Phil Alexander 1968-88 Player SA 2014 Kaye Greenham 1947-67 Player WA 2014 Brendan Kingman 1989- Player NSW 2014 John Galloway 1968-88 Player SA, VIC 2015 Trent Durrington Outstanding International Career NSW 2015 Grant Balfour Outstanding International Career NSW 2015 Philip Clifton Brideoake(dec) 1947-1967 Player SA 2016 Ernie George Bolton 1947-1967 Player VIC 2016 Peter “Yowie” Vogler 1989 -1999 Player QLD 2016 Micheal Nakamura Outstanding International Career VIC 2016
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